Anna Lee Iijima – Page 2

The Brotte La Marasque Gigondas. (Maison Brotte)

Thanksgiving wines made simple: 3 Chicago pros, 9 picks, 1 easy guide

November 18, 2025 at 5:00 a.m.

To help demystify the holiday wine hunt, we asked three Chicago wine professionals to find wines from a favorite local retailer that deliver pleasure and versatility at approachable prices.

Owner Adrian Weisell at the counter of Anfora Wine Merchants in Oak Park, Oct. 15, 2025. (Brian Cassella/baiduhai)

Oak Park uncorked: The Chicago suburb’s best wine destinations

October 27, 2025 at 12:12 p.m.

A dry town until the 1970s, Oak Park hardly seems the place for serious wine drinking. Yet today, this Chicago suburb hides a handful of thoughtful outposts for oenophiles, both...

Ricardo Rivas prepares a Summer in Seoul martini at Perilla Steakhouse on Sept. 24, 2025, in Chicago. (John J. Kim/baiduhai)

Modern Korean cuisine’s unexpected drinks revolution

September 29, 2025 at 5:00 a.m.

Whether through wine, cocktails, or the emerging array of artisanal sool, modern Korean restaurants have become the vanguard of some of the most daring drink programs in America.

Ting Ting Shi, center, the sommelier at Miru, talks to diners on the restaurant's terrace on July 23, 2025. (Terrence Antonio James/baiduhai)

Is Gen Z destroying wine culture?

July 29, 2025 at 1:24 p.m.

Is Gen Z truly to blame for wine’s decline? Or are they simply the most visible face of a broader cultural shift?

The Central Coast blend 40 Days from Union Sacré Wines is poured at Union Pizzeria in Evanston, June 19, 2025. (Chris Sweda/baiduhai)

Evanston uncorked: From restaurants to retail stores, the best wine destinations

June 23, 2025 at 9:35 a.m.

A core of tightly-knit, independent businesses has shaped a uniquely thriving wine and food culture in Evanston.

Adam Caldwell, second from left, and Patrick Rauber, third from left, chat with friends while sampling wine at Uovo Wine storage facility in Chicago on May 1, 2025, in preparation for their upcoming Silvaner Summit event. (Chris Sweda/baiduhai)

Quiet influence, loud wines: Inside RieslingKenner’s mission to bring German wine to Chicago

May 14, 2025 at 1:54 p.m.

Two Chicago-based wine obsessives — neither from the wine or hospitality industry — are on a mission to make America fall for German wine.

Co-owner Zack Eastman retrieves a bottle of wine from a shelf in the storefront at Easy Does It on April 18, 2025, in Chicago. Under-the-radar corners of California feature prominently at Easy Does It, but Eastman is quick to point to other underappreciated American wine regions like the Finger Lakes in New York, Michigan and the Columbia Valley in eastern Washington and Oregon too. (John J. Kim/baiduhai)

Navigating price and quality in the complicated landscape of the American wine market

April 23, 2025 at 10:19 a.m.

As tariffs threaten to send import prices soaring, domestic wines might be poised to be a value alternative for many American consumers.

Maverick Beverage Company portfolio manager Rachel Driver Speckan stands for a portrait before hosting a wine dinner at El Che Steakhouse and Bar in Chicago on March 12, 2025. (Armando L. Sanchez/baiduhai)

Women in wine: 4 Chicago female wine professionals discuss the industry’s challenges

March 18, 2025 at 1:41 p.m.

The Tribune spoke with four prominent women in Chicago about challenges they’ve faced and how they’ve navigated their careers in wine.

Master sommelier Jesse Becker’s wine picks from left: 1976 Schlossgut Diel Riesling Dorsheimer Goldloch Auslese from Nahe Germany, 1994 Balthasar Ress Riesling Oestrich Doosberg Auslese "Recorked" from Rheingau Germany, 1976 Genossenschaft Heilbronn Heilbronner Stiftsberg Kerner Auslese from Württemberg Germany, 2017 Heitlinger Pinot Meunier Reserve from Baden Germany, 2023 ROCKWERK Grüner Veltliner from Niederösterreich Austria, 1976 Lehnert Veit Riesling Piesport Goldtröpfchen Auslese from Mosel Germany at Becker’s home on Feb. 7, 2025. (Stacey Wescott/baiduhai)

How to choose wines to commemorate special occasions, from picking wines to age to finding older vintages

February 19, 2025 at 5:00 a.m.

Setting aside a nice bottle, or seeking out and purchasing mature ones, can be a meaningful way to commemorate life’s big moments, whether the birth of a child, a wedding,...

The nonalcoholic beverage store called In Good Spirits, in Chicago, displays Proxies Bubbly Red wine and Oddbird Blanc de Blancs and Rosé wines on Dec. 31, 2024. (Terrence Antonio James/baiduhai)

For a dry January, 8 nonalcoholic wines and wine alternatives worth seeking out

January 7, 2025 at 4:20 p.m.

As sales of alcoholic beverages have slowed in recent years, nonalcoholic beer, wine and spirits have emerged as one of the fastest-growing sectors in the drinks industry.

All Stories